Scuffle between lawyers, police at high court

A scuffle took place between a senior advocate and a policeman outside an entry gate of Punjab and Haryana high court here on Tuesday following which some lawyers allegedly thrashed the law enforcement personnel.

The situation turned tense when advocate Rupinder Khosla, a former president of the Bar Association of Punjab and Haryana high court and who has been additional advocate general of Punjab, allegedly got into an argument with the policeman over entry into the court complex, officials said.

A new procedure, which came into force yesterday, requires a magnetic card, which automatically opens the gate for advocates' cars to pass through in the morning hours. This was extended to the afternoon hours as well on Tuesday.

Association sources said Khosla was not carrying the magnetic card due to which he was asked by the policeman to stop.

He showed his bar council card, but the cop refused him entry following which a brawl broke out between the two and some other lawyers also thrashed the policeman, they said.

The injured policeman has been taken for medical examination to a government hospital.

Security has been tightened at the court complex to prevent any other untoward incident.

The advocates have met chief justice to raise the issue and police are investigating the matter.